On Aug. 31, just a week or so prior to the kickoff of the new season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a "note" to the public that was essentially a press release, a reminder to you, the NFL viewing public, that the league was going balls-out on player safety:

This, I think, is the most important point in the referee lockout, and one that that's not being grasped widely enough: the referees that we're stuck with, the ones that are going to officiate actual meaningful regular season games, they are not the best referees available.

Don King, the replacement ref who's working tonight's game between the Giants and Patriots, got a little flummoxed during one sequence in the second quarter. Remember, this is the quality of referee the NFL is prepared to start the season with in just a week's time. Sam Borden of The New York Times offered up a…